Product Review: Trader Joe's Quadruple Play
- Christina
- May 22, 2019
- 4 min read
Ever since I got my Cosori Air Fryer back in December, I have been obsessed with finding the yummiest appetizers to throw in that sucker. It has a magical "frozen food" setting, and most items I've thrown in there have come out great!
If you follow @traderjoesvegan on Instagram (highly recommend), you will be given a WEALTH of product recommendations, and that is where I first heard about these delightful little Samosa pockets of happiness.
When they come out of the air fryer, they are as crisp as if they were deep fried. Little bits of their pastry is actually flaking off because they have that brittle SNAP you want from a satisfying appetizer.
I had them for dinner the other day, drizzled with a bit of this amazing Citrus Balsamic Reduced Vinegar; it made them look ugly in this photo, my apologies, but dang was that combo delicious. Probably not authentic in any way, but I didn't have any chutney, and I thought that a sweet and savory combo would probably work with these.
These were really good. A box has 12, which is a lot of appetizer for $3.49. I made the box and had planned on eating all of them, along with a side of peas (more on that in a moment). They were very filling and I ended up with 8 of them, but I wasn't really given a choice, as 4 were stolen by my bottomless pit of an 11-year-old. I would like to mention that they were spicy. It wasn't overpowering, but if you're sensitive to spice, you may want to go slow. Using the standard restaurant star system, I'd say it was 2/5 stars of spice level.
I REALLY appreciated that it had nutrition information for both a "recommended serving" (LOL) and the whole box; an entire box comes in under 500 calories and has a good amount of protein - off the top of my head, around 14 grams? When you serve that up alongside something like peas, it's easy to get a balanced meal.
Trader Joe's Mini Vegetable Samosas Score:
Value: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Filling: Definitely
Would buy again: Definitely
Alrighty, how'd I dress up them peas?
Okay. Alright. Everybody calm down, it's just a little jar of crushed up roasted almonds, sesame seeds and some spices. Yeah, that's all it is. But somehow it's so much more. This Egyptian inspired condiment adds a super crunchy, toasty, savory, salty flavor to everything it touches. It is fabulous in its recommended serving suggestion, hearty bread dippeed in olive oil, and then into the Dukkah itself. (Duh, right on the packaging.) It is ALSO a great topping for meals, and sides. It was not gracing my peas in the first photo, but here it is, gorgeously complimenting the protein rich veggie. It's so good, I ran back to TJ's later to get 2 more jars cause I don't ever want to go without! It is $2.99 for a 3.3 oz jar.
Trader Joe's Dukkah Score:
Value: 4/5 (I presume you could make this yourself for cheaper/a greater volume yield, there are tons of recipes online for Dukkah, but they don't seem to follow TJ's exact flavor combo, and I'm lazy)
Taste: 5/5
Would buy again: I already did! :D
Before topping with that delicious Dukkah, I tossed my peas with a little of this spread/dip. I'm going to be honest with you - some of you are going to love this. I had NO idea what I was in for.
When I think of a garlic spread, I think of that delicious, artery clogging buttery stuff they put on a loaf you get for 3 bucks in the bakery section. You know, the stuff that makes the bread unnaturally yellow? I thought maybe this was a vegan version of that.
No, oh no. No it is not. It is a weirdly fluffy, pureed garlic and oil substance. It is VERY garlicky. I mean... I think it may be 50/50 oil to garlic ratio. I'm not the manufacturer so I can't make that claim, but that was the impression I was under.
Being that my expectations were incorrect, my first impression of this wasn't great. I think that I'm going to approach it again and try to find ways that I like using it. People really rave about it so I'm going to give it another chance.
I am sorry but I do not remember how much it cost!
Trader Joe's Garlic Spread-Dip Score:
Value: 5/5 (wasn't expensive, I know that)
Taste: 3/5 at writing of this article
Would buy again: Questionable. I will revisit. This is the most unhelpful review ever, other than letting you know in advance that this is NOT like what perhaps many of us would think of as "garlic spread."
And finally, those peas got a hit of black pepper and:
This is another thing I ran back to TJ's and grabbed another bottle of ($2.99) because I do not want to run out of it. So here's the 411.
I don't like mushrooms. I was very skeptical of this, and bought it on a whim. I expected to hate it. I'm not even sure why I got it, I guess I was just being open minded.
IT DOES NOT taste like mushrooms! It just tastes like delicious savoriness. It adds that depth of umami flavor that a lot of vegan meals lack, and without any effort. It's not super salty, but I'd taste as you go. Sprinkle on a little or a lot. It adds something special.
Trader Joe's Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend Score:
Value: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Would buy again: As with the Dukkah, I already did!
I hope my reviews were helpful to you! Have fun trying new things!
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